Teaching Oral English in an ESL Setting: Some Challenges Observed by Teachers in Upper-West Ghana

Abstract

This study sought to establish from teachers of English in Senior High Schools in the Upper-West Region of Ghana what they considered to be the main challenges confronting their students in the Oral English course. Thirty-four (34) teachers participated in the survey, which used questionnaire and personal observation for data gathering. The study found that there was a high tendency for features of the L1 of students to affect their learning of L2, especially in the areas of phonemes, morphemes, words, sentences and discourse structures. This was not surprising, as English was the L2 of majority of high school students in the region. The study acknowledges the need for language teachers to understand the linguistic systems of the second language of the student and how they function and be able to differentiate between the first and second language of the learner. It further concedes that a teacher's ability to speak and understand a language is not a guarantee for attaining the requisite technical knowledge for understanding and explaining the system of the language. It was observed that the challenges of pronunciation were not limited to students but affected the teachers too. The study recommends the teaching of pronunciation at basic level in an ESL context like Ghana's and also the provision of relevant teaching and learning materials for schools as well as periodic training for subject teachers.

Investigating the Problems of Teaching Oral English Communication Skills in an EFL context at the Tertiary Level

“…Besides the above-mentioned problems of teaching oral skills at the tertiary level, EFL teachers also opined that there were problems with syllabus design, planning and implementing oral activities inside and outside the classroom in Bangladesh. Apart from these findings, EFL teachers had some other problems like teachers' low proficiency, lack of teachers' training, and teachers' time constraints in the classroom (Ahmed & Qasem, 2019;Dansieh, 2018). Thus, this study indicates that EFL teachers were unable to provide learners oral practice environment for developing their oral English communication skills in an EFL context like Bangladesh.…”

Re-examining the Status of the English Language in Anglophone Western Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Nigeria

“…This perspective lends credence to the fact that the quality of the teacher plays a major role in the achievement of the students. To corroborate this point further, Dansieh (2018) examined the challenges of students in oral English in Upper West Ghana. His research demonstrated that students as well as teachers face challenges in English pronunciation, and recommended further consideration of relevant training for teachers in this specialised area.…”

Towards Demystifying Students’ Phobia for Phonetics and Phonology: Digital or Analogue Instructional Strategies?

“…The minimum standard guide for colleges of education (NCCE), 20 emphasis sizes analogue language laboratory facilities for teaching oral components of English. Dansie (2018) reiterates that effective oral English teaching and learning requires quality materials. In addition, analogue instruction is described as a simulation teaching and teaching style that simulates a natural learning environment for students (Qin, 2015).…”

“…Consequently, ensuring the teaching and learning environment is conducive for the student, in line with Dansie (2018), is expected to fascinate and attract meaningful learning without apprehension or phobia. Hence, phonetics and phonology are scheduled to be taught with exciting strategies.…”